ative tends to increase his justification for
acting as he did. But at best it can only increase it, for the actual
justification was always there, and by the light of his epoch it is
difficult to see how he should be blamed. These men had openly sworn
to have his life, and from what has been seen of them there is little
reason to suppose they would not have kept their word had they but been
given the opportunity.

In connection with Cesare's version, it is well to go back for a moment
to the execution of Ramiro de Lorqua, and to recall the alleged secret
motives that led to it. Macchiavelli himself was not satisfied that all
was disclosed, and that the governor's harshness and dishonesty had been
the sole causes of the justice done upon him. "The reason of his death
is not properly known," wrote the Florentine secretary. Another envoy
of that day would have filled his dispatches with the rumours that were
current, with the matters that were being whispered at street corners.
But Macchiavelli's habit was to disregard rumours as a rule, knowing
their danger--a circumstance which renders his evidence the most
valuable which we possess.

It is perhaps permissible to ask: What dark secrets had the torture of
the cord drawn from Messer Ramiro? Had these informed the duke of the
true state of affairs at Sinigaglia, and had the knowledge brought him
straight from Cesena to deal with the matter?

There is justification for these questions, inasmuch as on January 4 the
Pope related to Giustiniani--for which see his dispatches--that Ramiro
de Lorqua, being sentenced to death, stated that he desired to inform
the duke of certain matters, and informed him that he had concerted with
the Orsini to give the latter the territory of Cesena; but that, as
this could not now be done, in consequence of Cesare's treaty with the
condottieri, Vitelli had arranged to kill the duke, in which design he
had the concurrence of Oliverotto. They had planned that a crossbow-man
should shoot the duke as he rode into Sinigaglia, in consequence of
which the duke took great care of himself and never put off his armour
until the affair was over. Vitellozzo, the Pope said, had confessed
before he died that all that Ramiro had told the duke was true, and
at the Consistory of January 6, when the Sacred College begged for
the release of the old Cardinal Orsini--who had been taken with the
Archbishop of Florence, Giacomo di Santacroce, and Gianbattista da
Vi